


Transatlantic

by Notevenaproperword



Category: The Thick of It (TV), Veep (TV)
Genre: Language, because Malcolm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 22:32:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12921588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notevenaproperword/pseuds/Notevenaproperword
Summary: Selina and Nicola meet briefly.





	Transatlantic

 

Nicola Murray is wearing a dress. Scratch that. Nicola Murray is wearing THE dress. The definite article has to appear because for Malcolm Tucker, picker of said dress, it is the dress of a lifetime.

“Better than your fucking wedding dress." He said to a particularly red and cranky Nicola Murray earlier in the day. “I've seen the pictures.”

Worst thing is, the fucker's probably right. No, he IS right. Nicola feels good, not I'm a _Victoria's Angel and everyone wants to shag me_ good, but the Nicola Murray definition of good, which translates to not shitty, as in _please let me crawl into a hole and die_. Going by that definition, Nicola would dare to admit she feels more that good.

She feels more confident too and somehow it shows and pays off. Malcolm looks almost impressed at the way she makes it through the evening, masking ridiculously bad jokes, which become endearing in THE dress, and giving sweet charming smiles, which stay sweet charming smiles because Nicola has actually got a sweet and charming smile when she's not having panic attacks. Obviously, it's hard to notice it if you're Malcolm Tucker as, for all you know, Nicola Murray's life is one never ending panic attack.  
But he's got to admit that tonight, the basketcase acting as this government’s Secretary of State for Social Affairs and Citizenship is doing fine.

 

Selina Meyer on the other hand is barely aware of what's going on. She's popping her magic pills like tic tac since she put her foot on this godforsaken soil. She's probably the best looking there but she rarely thinks she's not the best looking. And when she doesn't think about it, Gary is here to remind her.

"You look beautiful." He gushed earlier that day. His cheeks were flushed, like a teenager's after kissing a teacher. She had given a large smile to her reflection before taking Ben's glass from his hands and gulping it all in one go.  
"Very nice, Ma'am." Amy commented, a little late and, between two incendiary emails to Dan who had disappeared.

Selina Meyer isn't having the grandest night of her life but then again, she firmly believes that her grandest night will come after a certain election. She can already see herself standing on a stage, people screaming her name like she's Evita on the rainbow tour. Her speech is something about the glass ceiling shattering and being honored and humbled, while inside she's making a list of stars and songs she'll have at the inauguration balls. The colour of the dress is still up for debate in her fantasy world but she knows she'll look the best out of everyone there – better looking persons than her will be thrown out. The thought alone brings back sincerity to her smile.

And that's how Selina Meyer and Nicola Murray meet for the first time : one is smiling because she's high on ambien and daydreams, the other because for once in her life, she's not a fucking disaster

 

Coincidentally, their first meeting marks the end of their sincere smile part of the evening. They are introduced to each other. Nicola's self confidence plummets down under the surface of the ocean setting their countries apart. She suddenly feels shitty because Selina looks so beautiful and happy. She makes a stupid joke (something Stephenie Meyer related), and a large gesture, which sends a waiter passing-by and his tray flying. There’s a pool of champagne at their feet and Selina is faced with the harsh reality : she's the US Vice President, forced to visit this dump of a country and smile to some matronly public servant who has the audacity of making a moronic joke, seemingly earning the approval of the man who stands beside her.

 

"What the fuck was that Nic'la?" Malcolm hisses when they're out of earshot from Selina Meyer and her team.  
"The cringiest thing she's said all night." Ollie offers.  
"That's debatable." Terri counters. “The flying glasses were a master stroke.”  
"I panicked, I'm sorry Malcolm."  
Nicola Omnishamble Murray is back. Malcolm glares.  
"Well, you're going to park your fucking ass in a fucking corner, act like you're so fucking pleased to be here and leave when I tell the lump of miscarriage residue you call your fucking staff you can leave."  
Nicola wants to protest but it's useless; her team scatters away as if she were a leper. Nicola was so happy not five minutes ago that she thinks she might cry. Malcolm sees the tears welling and the slight tremor of her lips. He mutters something particularly disgusting and insulting, takes her by the wrist and drags her out of the room before she can cry or protest.  
Malcolm Tucker really fucking hates it when Nicola Murray cries.

 

"Who the fuck was that ?"  
“Nicola Murray, Secretary of State for So–”  
“We know Gary!” Amy cuts him.  
“She’s a disaster. A mess double the size of Jonah.” Ben answers.  
“Worse than that. She's the unicorn queen of fuck-ups. She posed before a poster saying ‘I am bent’.”

Dan has stars in his eyes. He looks completely demented, just as he does when Jonah fucks up, which is most of the time he breathes.

“Did you plan to fuck her or something Dan?”  
“No! I wouldn't want to help her specie proliferates.”  
“She has four kids.” Kent notes quietly.  
“The poor woman.”

There's a silence as if Selina and her team were mourning Nicola. And because none of them particularly give a fuck about Nicola Murray, the silence doesn't last long.  
Still when Selina sees the Scottish man dragging Nicola out, she cannot help but notice the tears in the other woman's eyes.  
Selina Meyer hates seeing people cry, whether she understands or not, but especially when she understands.

Politics is supposed to help; but in her experience, it mainly fucks people up.


End file.
